WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum

WHEN: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 16-9, 4-8; Missouri 18-6, 7-4

TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, Mark Wise

Pregame Notes

Georgia’s second-half woes this season were never on better display than Tuesday night’s debacle at Texas A&M.

Up by nine at the break and later by 11 early in the second half, it looked like the Bulldogs might be on their way to their first conference road win.

But alas. Georgia managed five field goals over the final 20 minutes, while the Aggies used a 25-2 run to put the game away, 69-53.

For those counting, it marked the seventh time in 12 SEC games that the Bulldogs let a game get away after leading at the half.

Sophomore Blue Cain acknowledged it’s a problem.

“I mean, I think that's kind of the million-dollar question that we're trying to figure out,” Cain said. “I think we lose focus, but we just can't do that. We're working on it.”

Fellow sophomore Dylan James said Cain made a good point.

“I agree with what he said,” James said. “Definitely a lack of focus going into that second half, but I think it's just something that we've got to remember and just try to move forward with.”

For Georgia (16-9, 4-8), that next opportunity to make good comes Saturday afternoon when No. 21 Missouri (18-6, 7-4) comes to Stegeman Coliseum (3:30 p.m., SEC Network).

The Bulldogs will have to avoid the same pitfalls that ruined their chances against the Aggies. But after a defensive switch to a matchup zone, Georgia had no answers.

Head coach Mike White was asked about the effect the changeover had and why his Bulldogs were not able to find any offensive answers.

“When we don't shoot it well, I put it on myself. It starts with me and our staff and the decisions we're making, who we're playing, who we're getting shots, when and where, what actions we're running, and how they're defending us and what changes they may or may not be making,” White said after practice. “Some of it is simply the other team playing downhill in front of 15,000 at home and their confidence level, their intensity just increasing because things are going well. A lot of times, again, that's us throwing them the ball, although our ball security has gotten better over the past month.”

However, White said he hasn’t spent much time looking back at Texas A&M.

It’s been all about preparing for Missouri.

“We got back at, I don't know, three in the morning or something like that, and had the day off and spent the whole day watching Missouri,” White said. “We spent the next day meeting on Missouri and practicing, watching film, you know, and those guys obviously trying to catch up. So, it seems like that was a week ago.”

With six regular-season games to go, the Bulldogs need to find some answers quickly.

“We’re just thinking about Missouri,” White said. “I know that's not the answer anyone's looking for. I'm just being honest with you. That's all we talked about today.”

White was unsure if Tyrin Lawrence (hamstring) or Dakota Leffew (ankle) would be able to play Saturday.

Neither player dressed out for Tuesday’s game at Texas A&M. White said Leffew did practice with the team on Thursday.

The initial SEC Availability Report is due out Friday night.

• Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday to entertain No. 21/22 Missouri, the nation-leading and school-record 12th AP top-25 opponent for the Bulldogs this season.

• Georgia is 13-2 at Stegeman this season with a scoring margin of +19.0 that includes double-digit decisions in 11 of 13 wins and only losses to No. 1/1 Auburn (72-70) and No. 22 Mississippi St. (76-75).

• Unless No. 1/1 Auburn and No. 3/3 Florida plummet from the top 10, Georgia will play more than half of its games in January and February against top-10 opponents – eight of 15 contests.

• Mike White has now led three programs with losing records the season before his arrival to top-25 AP rankings in less than three years...also doing so at Louisiana Tech and Florida.

• Georgia is the only SEC team that will play the four league teams ranked in the top 10 throughout the entirety of conference play – Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee – on the road.

Missouri upped its record to 18-6 overall and 7-4 in SEC play with an 82-58 decision over Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

The Tigers own a pair of impressive road victories in SEC play, defeating No. 4 Florida and No. 13 Mississippi State.

Tamar Bates leads a trio of double-digit point producers for Mizzou at 13.5 points per game, followed by Mark Mitchell at 12.9 points per game and Caleb Grill at 12.7 points per game. Grill currently ranks third nationally in 3-point percentage, connecting on 48.6 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.